Tree



March 1, 1927. 1,619,272

W. O. ROY

TREE

Original Filed April 26- 1920 INVENTOR,

BY wm ATTORN EY Patented Mar. 1, 1927.

WILLIAM ORMISTON ROY, OF MONTREAL, QUEBEC, CANADA.

TREE.

Original application filed April 26, 1920, Serial No. 376,444. Dividedand this application filed February 16, 1922'. Serial No. 536,856.

My invention relates to an improved form of tree, ,especially'of a fruittree, the grain or woody fibre of which has been so bent by artificialmeans, during the process of its growth, that the branch elements whichnormally would extend out from any particular side of the tree have apermanently and naturally retained reversed position, and hang out fromthe opposite side of the tree, with the result that in the upper part orcrown of the trunk the grain of the wood and the adjacent limbs orbranches curves or turns inward, and tends to be drawn together by thenatural weight of the branches and of any load of snow, fruit or the.like that may be thereupon.

In the drawings, Fig. 1 is an elevation; Fig. 2 is a plan view of a treeembodying my improvements; and Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional View, onan enlarged scale, and taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2, of a section ofthe crotch-crown. of the tree trunk.

Similar parts are designated by similar reference numerals in all thefigures.

A tree formed by natural, uncontrolled growth has its branches extendingcontinuously in a generally outward direction from the sides of thetrunk to which they are attached. This results in the fibres forming theupper section of the crotches between the branches and the trunk beingnormally stressed or strained, so that the crotch is predisposed tosplit open; while thefibres embodied in the lower angles of the branchesand'trunk are normally compressed so as to tend to buckle or wrinkle up.

In my improved tree, however, the fibres of the branches, while stillliving and growing, are caused to reverse their natural direction ofgrowth and to curve upward, 1nward and over, so that the weight of the.branches will cause them to compress together the fibres inthecrotches; while the fibres of the under sides of the branches will bestressed or pulled lengthwise, thereby producing a wood formation havinga compressed or condensed crotch formation and a stretched or stressedformation about the under angles of the branches.

These results may, be accomplished by producing in ayoung tree aplurality of leaders, as by cutting off the main leader and allowing twoor more leaders to develop instead thereof. These new leaders, whilestill young and pliable, may be bent upward, inward, over and past thecenter or crotch between them, and outward on the opposite sides of thecrotch from their original positions, and then held in their reversedpositions by lashings or other suitable means until they have become setand will remain and continue to grow in their new positions. Thisresults in turning the branches over, and in stretching out the fibresof their under sides, and in compressing the fibres of their uppersides, and particularly in and around the crown or crotch between thebranches, where the leverage of the branches will be greatest; and themaintenance of these stresses and compressions during the growth of thetree will produce a condensed or compressed condition of the woodyfibres in and around the crotch, and a stretched or stressed formation,about the under angles of the branches, thus reversing the conditionsexisting where the branches are permitted to grow in the usual way.

I have designated in the drawings the branches as 1, the crown of thetree trunk as 2, the fruitas 3; and the under angles of the branches as4.

When the wood of the tree has been brought into the formation described,it will naturally carry the weight of the vbranches and their normallyimposed loads without splitting down through the crotch-crown. And ifthe tree is cut and used for the puroses of lumber or manufacture, amaterial will be obtained which has a crotch formation developed under acontracting pressure, and thereby toughened, strengthened, and renderedless liable to split open in use; while the disadvantages incident to abuckling or wrinkling tendency in the lower angles at the base of thelimbs will be avoided. I

. For cabinet woods, also, the durability of veneers produced from the.same, and the beauty of grain figure will be enhanced when the veneersare out from my improved tree crotches.

The advantages I have already explained in reference to the fibreformation between the trunk and branches, also exist, in degrees in theformation between the shoots from the normal under sides of the branchesand the branches themselves, when reversed; as the shoots will then beabove the branches.

and their weight will tend to close up the crotches and not to splitthem open.

My improved trees are lower, more sturdy and much less liable to crotchsplitting 0r cracking, and incident decay, than other trees of the samevarieties. And the value of these differences will be well understood bythose familiar with the use of trees and of crotch lumber.

Having thus described my invention what I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent of the United States is 1. A self supportlng tree, thebranches from the main crotch of which have their fibres so disposed,through artificial causes, that the major portions of the branches arediverted. from their natural direction of growth and are permanentlydisposed and maintain themselves over and past the central vertical lineof the tree.

2. A self supporting tree trunk the fibres of the main crown-crotch ofwhich, due to artificial training, are normally compressed and drawntogether. a

3. A. self supporting tree trunk the fibres of the crown-crotch ofwhich, .due to artificial training, are normally compressed and drawntogether, while the fibres about the lower angles between the trunk andthe members of the crotch are under longitudinal tension.

4. Wood having an artificially produced compressed crotch grainformation and a distended grain formation about the angles subjacent tothe members of the crotch.

WILLIAM ORMISTON ROY.

